Water receded in Cannon Falls on Friday, and officials were cautiously optimistic the worst was over after heavy rains sent the Cannon River and the Little Cannon River over their banks earlier in the day and prompted a voluntary evacuation of about two dozen homes.

Hitting back against an emboldened GOP, President Barack Obama launched a rare direct attack Monday on the Republican presidential field, criticizing his potential 2012 rivals for their blanket opposition to any deficit-cutting compromise involving new taxes.

President Barack Obama accused Congress on Monday of putting politics ahead of the country and called on voters to tell lawmakers to cut it out, as he kicked off a three-day Midwestern bus tour aimed at promoting his economic ideas and countering Republican attacks.

On Sunday afternoon, White House staff members handed out 500 tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis. People showed up in numbers, from all over the state, waiting for what they called a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.